Sunday 5 January 2014
We are working perhaps one day to every two when the weather makes it impossible to use the mixer or keep plaster from getting too sodden in the barrow. The tarps are difficult to work round, we try to keep them partially hung so they can be reattached quickly when storm clouds gather.
On rainy days we mope around reading, painting (me), playing music (Dave), or, in this case, setting up a guitar hospital on the workbench:
Sunday was a better day, so Dave managed to complete the plastering over the boards on the north wall, but having developed a virus, took himself off to rest with half a barrow of plaster left to be used up.
So I had a go. There weren't many ground level areas left untouched except this spot between the big kitchen and little pantry windows, and we are staying clear of the immediate window surrounds for when the frames are fitted. Still, I put a bit on - it's more difficult than I expected, as the plaster has to be pushed hard into the straw to form a good bond.
I also developed a technique for the edge of the music room external door - it is only 5cm of wall, as the window box comes tight up against the door frame. I stuffed a mix known as 'long-straw' - a light coating of plaster on a handful of straw shoved hard into the gaps in the ladder frame with plasterer's mesh stapled over each handful working up the wall. This is very tough on the stapler which inevitably got coated in lime. (Sorry Jonathan, I used the new stapler you gave us, it looks worse than the old one now!) Then a light coating of plaster over the mesh once everything is in place. This effectively disguises the ladder frame and softens the frame to match the bales on the opposite side.
With a little bit of plaster still left, I decided to experiment on an interior wall, using an obscure corner of the studio as a test site. The problem for interior plastering (when we eventually get a chance to get round to it) is that the bales are hard up against the wood frame, but the frame is 12cm deep. We don't want 10-11cm of solid plaster in the gaps (expensive, labour-intensive and would take years to dry), and we don't want 6-8cm ledges all round, gathering dust. I tried taking flakes from a left-over part-bale and tying them to the bale strings behind. This sort of worked, but the bale flakes are quite spongy to touch, so it will depend how tough the plaster gets whether they would be vulnerable to cracking if knocked. It also took a long time, so it may not be a practical solution. More thought needed.
We are working perhaps one day to every two when the weather makes it impossible to use the mixer or keep plaster from getting too sodden in the barrow. The tarps are difficult to work round, we try to keep them partially hung so they can be reattached quickly when storm clouds gather.
On rainy days we mope around reading, painting (me), playing music (Dave), or, in this case, setting up a guitar hospital on the workbench:
Sunday was a better day, so Dave managed to complete the plastering over the boards on the north wall, but having developed a virus, took himself off to rest with half a barrow of plaster left to be used up.
So I had a go. There weren't many ground level areas left untouched except this spot between the big kitchen and little pantry windows, and we are staying clear of the immediate window surrounds for when the frames are fitted. Still, I put a bit on - it's more difficult than I expected, as the plaster has to be pushed hard into the straw to form a good bond.
I also developed a technique for the edge of the music room external door - it is only 5cm of wall, as the window box comes tight up against the door frame. I stuffed a mix known as 'long-straw' - a light coating of plaster on a handful of straw shoved hard into the gaps in the ladder frame with plasterer's mesh stapled over each handful working up the wall. This is very tough on the stapler which inevitably got coated in lime. (Sorry Jonathan, I used the new stapler you gave us, it looks worse than the old one now!) Then a light coating of plaster over the mesh once everything is in place. This effectively disguises the ladder frame and softens the frame to match the bales on the opposite side.
With a little bit of plaster still left, I decided to experiment on an interior wall, using an obscure corner of the studio as a test site. The problem for interior plastering (when we eventually get a chance to get round to it) is that the bales are hard up against the wood frame, but the frame is 12cm deep. We don't want 10-11cm of solid plaster in the gaps (expensive, labour-intensive and would take years to dry), and we don't want 6-8cm ledges all round, gathering dust. I tried taking flakes from a left-over part-bale and tying them to the bale strings behind. This sort of worked, but the bale flakes are quite spongy to touch, so it will depend how tough the plaster gets whether they would be vulnerable to cracking if knocked. It also took a long time, so it may not be a practical solution. More thought needed.
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